Oh boy I've been reading a lot lately. That's all just one week! Good grief. Okay, here we go...
"Gone with a Handsomer Man" by Michael Lee West was a decent and amusing murder mystery set in Charleston. Teeny catches her fiance playing naked badminton with two women and calls off their engagement. When the ex, Bing, turns up dead a few days later, Teeny is the obvious suspect. With the help of her first boyfriend who is now a lawyer, Coop, his P.I., Red Butler (no kidding), and Bing's stepmother Dora they turn Charleston upside down trying to figure out who really did Bing in and keep Teeny safe before the killer can come after her. It was fun but not hysterically so. There is obviously going to be a sequel (if not then the ending was WTF times 10) so I'll read it but I'm not chomping at the bit.
So I finally broke down and bought a Nook. I love the idea of having a whole bunch of books available on a light, portable device, and the new Nook is perfect for me. I really do love it, but I haven't bought any e-books for it, I've just borrowed from my library. Love it! I downloaded Harold Blum's "American Lightening", and it is officially the first book I've read on my Nook. It was a fairly interesting true crime story about the 1910 bombing of the Los Angeles Times building. It focused mainly on the detective's hunt for the bombers, since they pled guilty there was no long drawn out trial. It was interesting but he threw a little too much in there all at once for my taste, trying to draw in the water crisis that the movie "Chinatown" made immortal, as well as D.W. Griffith and some other extraneous stuff which I felt bogged down the story.
"Fables V. 15: Rose Red"--Bill Willingham and company return with another marvelous entry into the Fables canon. Rose Red is finally persuaded to get up out of bed and stop her self destructive mourning for Boy Blue, and we get her and Snow's backstory, which was really interesting. Frau Totenkinder has transformed into the young and lovely Bellflower, and it looks like she has found a successful way to trap Mister Dark, until he escapes. The Fables flee the Farm for the Frog Prince's safe Haven and Ozma girds up to be the one to fight Mister Dark as Bellflower retires. Can't wait to see what happens next! I have to wait until December, though, for the next volume. Bah!
Brianna Karp always worked hard, and in 2009 she was another casualty of the Great Recession. She lost her job and her rental house, and her crazy whack job mother threw her out onto the streets. Determined not to lose all hope, Brianna ended up in a trailer in a Walmart parking lot in Brea and started a blog called "The Girl's Guide to Homelessness" detailing her struggles, fears, and optimism in the face of crushing challenges. Her book was well written and charming. I hope she continues to write, because she has a real talent for it, I think. Her bravery and determination is awe inspiring to say the least. I am reminded every day of how precarious my own life is, especially a few months ago when it looked like I might be laid off. Thankfully I have normal (okay, *somewhat* normal) loving parents who would take me back in in a heartbeat, were it ever god forbid necessary. It's just scary to think that you can do everything right: go to school, work hard, earn a degree, get a good job, pay all your bills on time and live within your means and STILL be completely wiped out by having just one bad thing happen to you. Scary stuff.
I love the Duggars. I've been watching them on TV since their first Discovery Channel specials. Jim Bob and Michelle are quite possibly the most awesome people in the world. In their new book "A Love that Multiplies" they talk about their strong faith and love for each other and the challenges with raising such a large family. I literally cried my way through this entire book, because I'm so jealous of them. I know, it's terrible, but all you have to do is watch their TLC show for five minutes and you can see how truly blessed they are. Jim Bob thinks Michelle is the most amazing woman in the world and he's a great husband and father, and dammit, I want a Jim Bob of my own! I want babies. Not 19, of course, but one or two would be nice. Oh, well, I'll try to be content with the life god gave me. Of course, maybe if I actually started capitalizing his name he might be more inclined to look upon me with a bit more favor...oh well :) I think the whole "me being on good speaking terms with god" ship sailed a long time ago.
And finally Jen Lancaster's first foray into fiction "If You Were Here". Like her nonfiction, it was witty and charming and I loved it. Mac and Mia buy a money pit in the suburbs of Chicago (three words: Jake Ryan's house. Yep, I would have bought it, too) and proceed to renovate it to the point of livability without much luck. What a treasure Jen Lancaster is, and for that matter, John Hughes. Rest in peace, good sir. I feel like watching "Sixteen Candles" for the umpteenth time now.
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